Helmut Jahn Quotations

Working is actually a pleasure. It's just very time-consuming. It's a way of life. I find that I can work when I travel and work when I run. There is nothing like, on a rainy day, to work.

A good engineer thinks in reverse and asks himself about the stylistic consequences of the components and systems he proposes.

A city building, you experience when you walk; a suburban building, you experience when you drive.

When I work, I work very hard. When I don't work, I have to do something where my endeavor can totally take me off what I do professionally, like sailing. It takes all your attention.

For me, drawing generates thinking and vice versa.

Higher ceilings allow the use indirect lighting, which is much healthier and reduces glare.

I find if my body feels well and I exercise regularly, I think better, work better and feel better.

Every building is a prototype. No two are alike.

The architecture profession has lost a lot of its integrity, especially in the USA. The general architect here has no scruples, no ambitions.

I think there will be a 200-story skyscraper someday. However, it will require a developer who will not think in conventional terms and for whom economic restraints won't apply.

You don't know what the Chinese expect in the way of beauty. The presentation is just a farce. You come into a room filled with 50 people and they don't talk to you. There's very little interaction.

I think the younger generation, the people poised to dominate the workforce, are more socially conscious. They are more demanding in terms of environment and how that environment contributes to their life.

Success on one project does not necessarily mean success in the next project. You've got to be prepared in everything you do.

You'd never think of taking a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But in a bad city you take a cab just to go around the corner.

Creativity has more to do with the elimination of the inessential than with inventing something new.

Transparency is not the same as looking straight through a building: it's not just a physical idea, it's also an intellectual one.

When I think of some of my earlier work, it really seems a fortunate coincidence that I succeeded.

I wanted to improve the suburban office building; to create a great urban space in a suburban environment with all that implies about interaction, collaboration and creativity.

When I came to America in the '60s, it was the place to be. I wonder if I'd come here today.

A building is hard to judge. It takes many years to find out whether it works. It's not as simple as asking the people in the office whether they like it.

Chinese buildings are like American buildings, with big footprints. People don't care about daylight or fresh air.

I strive for an architecture from which nothing can be taken away.

I've never looked at a suburban building as being a minor building and an urban building as being a major building.

In Europe, architects consider themselves artists. They think they're special when they win a competition.

We want our buildings to work like a machine that will create a pleasurable environment.

I don't consider myself a star or a celebrity. I'm a simple guy who works a lot.

For me, though, the fun is over when I get the job.

I used to buy nice clothes and drive a nice car when I couldn't afford it. But I spent all my money doing it, and now I don't have to. I like nice things. I like to travel in a certain style. I like to live in a nice place.

In Europe, they're more demanding, the ones that rent the build ings.

German and English firms operate internationally, while French firms do not. The only place where they all have work is in China. Anybody can sell himself in China!

The American attitude towards efficiency and execution should always underlie architecture.

It's my goal to make a building as immaterial as possible. Architecture is a very material thing. It takes a lot of resources, so why not eliminate what you don't need as long as you're able to achieve the same result?

America has always imported history.

We prefer synthetic rather than natural materials. Natural products are almost too valuable. Wood is much harder to produce than metal. And metal is recyclable, while wood isn't.

We are creating a unique experience. It's starts with how you see the building from a distance.

Critics are entitled to have an opinion, but how can they judge how comfortable a building is? No critic is smart enough to judge how a building will perform over time.

Sometimes I have to accept a job I don't really want. Hardly anybody comes up to you with a commission; it's all competitions these days.

Most architects say: I want to use this type of glass, even if it's too reflective or doesn't let enough light in. However, the use of a certain type of glass might change the comfort level.